So tonight at formation we're going to get the results of our Myer's Briggs Test back. I haven't taken this test (officially, although I've done the facebook version recently) in several years, and for some reason, I'm a little anxious about getting the results back.
Why? I'm afraid that my personality type has CHANGED. Why should that worry me, you might ask.
Because I liked my old one! =)
In the past, I've gotten ENFJ- Extraverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Judging.
I guess I like being an ENFJ, and I'll be heartbroken if I find out I'm an ISTP (the polar opposite). Lol.
Here's a short description of an ENFJ. Tell me if you think it sounds like me:
E - energized by being with other people; like being the center of attention; act, then think; tend to think out loud; are easier to "read" and know; share personal information freely; talk more than listen; communicate with enthusiasm; respond quickly; enjoy a fast pace; prefer breadth to depth.
N - Trust inspiration and inference; like new ideas and concepts for their own sake; value imagination and innovation; like to learn new skills; get bored easily after mastering skills; tend to be general and figurative; use metaphors and analogies; present information through leaps, in a roundabout manner; are oriented toward the future.
F - consider effect of actions on others; value empathy and harmony; see the exception to the rule; naturally like to please others; show appreciation easily; may be seen as overemotional, illogical, and weak; consider it important to be tactful as well as truthful; believe any feeling is valid, whether it makes sense or not; are motivated by a desire to be appreciated.
J - Are happiest after decisions have been made; have a "work ethic": work first, play later (if there's time); set goals and work toward achieving them on time; prefer knowing what they are getting into; are product oriented (emphasis on completing the task); derive satisfaction from completing projects; see time as a finite resource and take deadlines seriously.
I'll let you know the results later!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
The Slow Work of God
So often I am discontent with my current state in life. I often think to myself, "I can't wait for next year to come, so that I can try out another new and exciting ministry." Or "I'm eager to be finished school, and moving on to ministry in the "real world." " Or still yet, "I'm looking forward to being somewhere else other than Notre Dame - perhaps back in New England, closer to my family." And finally, "I'd like to be in a relationship and wonder when it will be my turn to fall in love and experience all that beautiful mushiness."
Granted, my personality type is prone to being future-oriented. I shouldn't be so hard on myself for thinking about the "what if's and what could or might be-s." However, God and His grace are most available to us in the present moment. Instead of focusing on the future, what if I spent my time looking for the graces in my life right here, right now?
I came across this great prayer that I think should be my motto:
The Slow Work of God
Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are all, quite naturally, impatient in everything to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the immediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new;
And yet it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability – and that it may take a long time.
And so I think it is with you.
Your ideas mature gradually – let them grow, let them shape themselves without undue haste.
Don’t try to force them on as though you could be today what time (that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your own good will) will make you tomorrow.
Only God can say what this new spirit gradually forming within you will be.
Give God the benefit of believing that the Spirit of God is leading you, forming you, transforming you;
And accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Granted, my personality type is prone to being future-oriented. I shouldn't be so hard on myself for thinking about the "what if's and what could or might be-s." However, God and His grace are most available to us in the present moment. Instead of focusing on the future, what if I spent my time looking for the graces in my life right here, right now?
I came across this great prayer that I think should be my motto:
The Slow Work of God
Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are all, quite naturally, impatient in everything to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the immediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new;
And yet it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability – and that it may take a long time.
And so I think it is with you.
Your ideas mature gradually – let them grow, let them shape themselves without undue haste.
Don’t try to force them on as though you could be today what time (that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your own good will) will make you tomorrow.
Only God can say what this new spirit gradually forming within you will be.
Give God the benefit of believing that the Spirit of God is leading you, forming you, transforming you;
And accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Saturday, September 26, 2009
GO IRISH!
It was a beautiful and uplifting thing to see the joy of the students here at Notre Dame tonight after we beat Purdue with a last-30 seconds of the game touchdown. Immediately after the win, students began RUNNING from their dorms to the center of campus (right next to my dorm) to jump in the "stone-henge" (a.k.a. war memorial) fountain. Nearly 500+ students plunged into the spraying waters (even though it was 55 degrees outside), shouting, and cheering, singing the ND fight song and chanting: "WE ARE, ND! WE ARE, ND! WE ARE, ND!" I couldn't help my self and ran outside to watch the scene. It was both hilarious, uplifting, and ridiculous. Watching people jump into freezing cold water, dancing around, and celebrating, then watching them wrap their arms around one another and sway as they sang the Alma Mater, simply beautiful.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Water & Catholic Social Teaching
So I had the funniest thing ever happen today. Today's assignment for preaching class consisted of preparing and delivering a 3-minute persuasive speech on a topic of our choice. (Note to self: be prepared for the unimaginable if I ever become a teacher and decide to let my students pick their own topics).
Here's a sampling of the selections from my classmates:
* a rather persuasive speech about why persuasive speeches are not persuasive. (She talked about experience as the true teacher and conversion-bringer).
*why one should like country music as opposed to say, rap or death metal.
* why one should wear a bike helmet
* why glue sticks are better than plain old elmer's
* why pastoral theology programs should involve literature courses
But my all time favorite was this:
* Why everyone should practice water conservation and save the planet one pee in the shower at a time.
WHAT??? ROFL! LOL!
Seriously! It was one of the most hilarious things I have heard in a long time! (Anyone who knows me know that I am utterly immature and love potty-humor).
Where did my classmate get the idea for this speech? Well, first from this random video produced by a Brazilian ecological group:
http://crunchydomesticgoddess.com/2009/08/18/pee-in-the-shower-to-save-water/
My classmate explained the video, and then explained that the typical American gets out of bed, uses the toilet, then jumps in the shower every morning. He went on to encourage us to skip the can and just go in the shower, a simple act which could save a few thousand gallons of water per year!
Now, his argument went much deeper than some silly Brazilian video. He talked about how this connected to principles contained in Catholic Social Teaching. "But what does peeing in the shower have to do with Catholic Social Teaching?", you might ask.
Actually, LOTS!
One major issue in impoverished nations is that they don't have access to clean drinking water. My Catholic Social Teaching professor pointed out that the United States hoards and wastes many natural resources (including water) which other nations go without. Consider for example, the fact that here in the United States (and many other developed nations), we flush about 5 gallons of POTABLE (that is, perfectly drinkable prior to its being in the toilet bowl) water down the toilet every single time we go to the bathroom! This is a gross waste of a precious resource!
This gross waste of water becomes even more serious when we think about the situation of global poverty. The World Health Organization website states that "About 2.6 billion people – half the developing world – lack even a simple ‘improved’ latrine and 1.1 billion people has no access to any type of improved drinking source of water. As a direct consequence:
1.6 million people die every year from diarrhoeal diseases (including cholera) attributable to lack of access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation and 90% of these are children under 5, mostly in developing countries;
160 million people are infected with schistosomiasis causing tens of thousands of deaths yearly; 500 million people are at risk of trachoma from which 146 million are threatened by blindness and 6 million are visually impaired;
intestinal helminths (ascariasis, trichuriasis and hookworm infection) are plaguing the developing world due to inadequate drinking water, sanitation and hygiene with 133 million suffering from
high intensity intestinal helminths infections; there are around 1.5 million cases of clinical hepatitis A every year.
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/mdg1/en/index.html
So this is not just a funny speech. This is grave issue which we as Catholics need to take seriously! Think about it- 1.6 million people die each year from lack of access to clean drinking water. That's about the same number of babies who die each year from ABORTION. So before you dismiss this as crazy tree-hugging environmental fanaticism, guess again.
But, you might ask, what does my consuming of water here (in a country with abundant water resources) have to do with the fact that people in sub-saharan Africa don't have access to water? How does my conserving 5 gallons a day make a difference for them?
Here's what the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church says:
# 484: "By its very nature water cannot be treated as just another commodity among many, and it must be used rationally and in solidarity with others... The right to water, as all human rights, finds its basis in human dignity and not in any kind of merely quantitative assessment that considers water as a merely economic good. Without water, life is threatened. Therefore, the right to safe drinking water is a universal and inalienable right."
#485 continues: "Serious ecological problems call for an effective change of mentality leading to the adoption of new lifestyles, 'in which the quest for truth, beauty, goodness and communion with others for the sake of the common good are the factors that determine consumer choices, savings, and investments.'"
In other words, just because we have great access to water does not mean that we can be wasteful. Rather, we are called to use water soberly and responsibly, keeping in mind the great masses of humanity that suffer for lack of access to this essential resource.
Note too that the bishops of our Church call for "an effective change in mentality [about the way we use resources, esp. water], leading to the adoption of new lifestyles." Yes, it goes against cultural norms to pee in the shower. But if it's one small thing I can do to live out solidarity with the 1.6 million people who die each year from lack of access to clean drinking water, so be it. I'm willing to pee in the shower.
As an apt bumper sticker reads: "Live Simply So That Others May Simply Live."
If peeing in the shower doesn't appeal to you, try these other water-saving tricks:
* Fix all leaks. In fact, leaks waste so much water that you should check for leaks. To check for leaks, turn off all teh water in the house. Next, read your water meter, then wait one hour (make sure no water is turned on during this period), and read the meter again. If the meter does not read exactly the same, there is a leak. Fixing leaks you can identify may be as simple as replacing a washer or tightening a connection. If you do have to hire a plumber to locate and / or fix a leak, the money will be offset by the savings on your water bill.
* Report tap leaks and faulty toilets in public places to managment, so they can be fixed.
* Take short showers. With water flowing up to five gallons per minute from a non-conserving showerhead, showers consume about one-fifth of water used indoors. (Try shutting off the water while you lather up!)
* Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving. Running the water continuously for just two minutes can waste three gallons of water! Fill a cup with water when brushing your teeth and fill the sink bowl to rinse your razor instead of running the water.
* Avoid using your toilet as a wastebucket. Keep a trash can in the bathroom, but if you forget and toss garbage in the toilet bowl - leave it. It will eventually get flushed with normal use.
* And remember - if it's yellow let it mellow; if it's brown, flush it down. :)
(All of these except the last were taken from "It's Easy Being Green: A Handbook for Earth-Friendly Living" by Crissy Trask)
Here's a sampling of the selections from my classmates:
* a rather persuasive speech about why persuasive speeches are not persuasive. (She talked about experience as the true teacher and conversion-bringer).
*why one should like country music as opposed to say, rap or death metal.
* why one should wear a bike helmet
* why glue sticks are better than plain old elmer's
* why pastoral theology programs should involve literature courses
But my all time favorite was this:
* Why everyone should practice water conservation and save the planet one pee in the shower at a time.
WHAT??? ROFL! LOL!
Seriously! It was one of the most hilarious things I have heard in a long time! (Anyone who knows me know that I am utterly immature and love potty-humor).
Where did my classmate get the idea for this speech? Well, first from this random video produced by a Brazilian ecological group:
http://crunchydomesticgoddess.com/2009/08/18/pee-in-the-shower-to-save-water/
My classmate explained the video, and then explained that the typical American gets out of bed, uses the toilet, then jumps in the shower every morning. He went on to encourage us to skip the can and just go in the shower, a simple act which could save a few thousand gallons of water per year!
Now, his argument went much deeper than some silly Brazilian video. He talked about how this connected to principles contained in Catholic Social Teaching. "But what does peeing in the shower have to do with Catholic Social Teaching?", you might ask.
Actually, LOTS!
One major issue in impoverished nations is that they don't have access to clean drinking water. My Catholic Social Teaching professor pointed out that the United States hoards and wastes many natural resources (including water) which other nations go without. Consider for example, the fact that here in the United States (and many other developed nations), we flush about 5 gallons of POTABLE (that is, perfectly drinkable prior to its being in the toilet bowl) water down the toilet every single time we go to the bathroom! This is a gross waste of a precious resource!
This gross waste of water becomes even more serious when we think about the situation of global poverty. The World Health Organization website states that "About 2.6 billion people – half the developing world – lack even a simple ‘improved’ latrine and 1.1 billion people has no access to any type of improved drinking source of water. As a direct consequence:
1.6 million people die every year from diarrhoeal diseases (including cholera) attributable to lack of access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation and 90% of these are children under 5, mostly in developing countries;
160 million people are infected with schistosomiasis causing tens of thousands of deaths yearly; 500 million people are at risk of trachoma from which 146 million are threatened by blindness and 6 million are visually impaired;
intestinal helminths (ascariasis, trichuriasis and hookworm infection) are plaguing the developing world due to inadequate drinking water, sanitation and hygiene with 133 million suffering from
high intensity intestinal helminths infections; there are around 1.5 million cases of clinical hepatitis A every year.
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/mdg1/en/index.html
So this is not just a funny speech. This is grave issue which we as Catholics need to take seriously! Think about it- 1.6 million people die each year from lack of access to clean drinking water. That's about the same number of babies who die each year from ABORTION. So before you dismiss this as crazy tree-hugging environmental fanaticism, guess again.
But, you might ask, what does my consuming of water here (in a country with abundant water resources) have to do with the fact that people in sub-saharan Africa don't have access to water? How does my conserving 5 gallons a day make a difference for them?
Here's what the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church says:
# 484: "By its very nature water cannot be treated as just another commodity among many, and it must be used rationally and in solidarity with others... The right to water, as all human rights, finds its basis in human dignity and not in any kind of merely quantitative assessment that considers water as a merely economic good. Without water, life is threatened. Therefore, the right to safe drinking water is a universal and inalienable right."
#485 continues: "Serious ecological problems call for an effective change of mentality leading to the adoption of new lifestyles, 'in which the quest for truth, beauty, goodness and communion with others for the sake of the common good are the factors that determine consumer choices, savings, and investments.'"
In other words, just because we have great access to water does not mean that we can be wasteful. Rather, we are called to use water soberly and responsibly, keeping in mind the great masses of humanity that suffer for lack of access to this essential resource.
Note too that the bishops of our Church call for "an effective change in mentality [about the way we use resources, esp. water], leading to the adoption of new lifestyles." Yes, it goes against cultural norms to pee in the shower. But if it's one small thing I can do to live out solidarity with the 1.6 million people who die each year from lack of access to clean drinking water, so be it. I'm willing to pee in the shower.
As an apt bumper sticker reads: "Live Simply So That Others May Simply Live."
If peeing in the shower doesn't appeal to you, try these other water-saving tricks:
* Fix all leaks. In fact, leaks waste so much water that you should check for leaks. To check for leaks, turn off all teh water in the house. Next, read your water meter, then wait one hour (make sure no water is turned on during this period), and read the meter again. If the meter does not read exactly the same, there is a leak. Fixing leaks you can identify may be as simple as replacing a washer or tightening a connection. If you do have to hire a plumber to locate and / or fix a leak, the money will be offset by the savings on your water bill.
* Report tap leaks and faulty toilets in public places to managment, so they can be fixed.
* Take short showers. With water flowing up to five gallons per minute from a non-conserving showerhead, showers consume about one-fifth of water used indoors. (Try shutting off the water while you lather up!)
* Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving. Running the water continuously for just two minutes can waste three gallons of water! Fill a cup with water when brushing your teeth and fill the sink bowl to rinse your razor instead of running the water.
* Avoid using your toilet as a wastebucket. Keep a trash can in the bathroom, but if you forget and toss garbage in the toilet bowl - leave it. It will eventually get flushed with normal use.
* And remember - if it's yellow let it mellow; if it's brown, flush it down. :)
(All of these except the last were taken from "It's Easy Being Green: A Handbook for Earth-Friendly Living" by Crissy Trask)
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